Martin’s Story

Saturday 05 October 2013

Well, it all started when I was on a work trip in Atlanta drinking beer and eating triple layered Oreos when I stumbled upon the women’s 2012 CrossFit Games on ESPN 2. So I Googled “Crossfit in El Paso” and voila, the CrossFit 915 web page was the first one that came up. My first impression was “wow, that’s intense and looks kind of fun. I think I can do that.” And here I am, almost 11 months later, holding on to that same impression, still hitting that intensity as hard as possible, and still doing what I can to get better.

My favorite thing about CrossFit 915 is the community feel to the gym. Everyone smiles, everyone nods as if to say “hello there kind sir!”, no one gives a sh*t about negatives and looks only towards the greatest positive: we’re all there working hard. It’s hard to explain, really, the feeling of unity there. Now I’m not saying I belong in the same group as the “athletes,” but they all make you feel welcome every single day. It really is an amazing feeling.

As far as results go, physically, I have reached heights I never thought were even there. Prior to joining CrossFit 915, and over the curse of 7 years, I worked my way down from 304 lbs to 245 then back to 279 then 245 and 269. I had no ambition to stick to something healthy and stay there. I’m heading on two months since the end of the magnificent Whole 60 challenge and I am happily fluctuating in the single digits, from 206 to 208. I’ve gotten rid of all my XL t-shirts and gone through four different sized jeans this year. I can fit into a large. My jeans are size 34. Veins are visible on my hands and arms. I can actually see muscle on my body. My Adam’s apple is visible. My collar bone is 3D without the glasses. My stamina/endurance is beyond anything I could have imagined because of you guys. I know what you’re saying, “well you did the work”. Yeah, well you provided the correct path to these results. Psychologically, I can’t explain it all. Seriously, wtf is this disease called confidence that you have infected me with? What is this other disorder called happiness that you have made me deal with daily? Sarcasm aside, you have helped make me a social person and I am concerned about keeping a clean appearance. I shave all the time now because my double chin is practically gone. I’m still shy but I feel so alive right now. It’s weird.

My favorite CrossFit 915 memory has to be the results of the Whole 60 challenge. Yesterday morning I met another woman who went through it and lost a lot of weight (and has maintained it!). She even showed me her before picture. I mean its one thing to feel good about doing it yourself, but when you realize how many people’s lives were impacted by it, you realize that you were a part of something truly special and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Again, I can’t explain how I feel when I hear these success stories, and I can’t wait to hear more in the future!